NASCAR centerpiece: A different Daytona

Rob Sneddon

Monday

Feb 14, 2011 at 12:01 AMFeb 14, 2011 at 1:16 PM

The speedway’s facelift has changed the complexion of the 500.

Nothing about last Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout was typical of recent racing at Daytona International Speedway. For one thing, Kurt Busch won. It was the first restrictor-plate victory of the Sprint Cup veteran’s 11-year career. More striking, however, was the way that Busch won. The driver of the No. 22 Penske Racing Dodge offered a capsule summary of what’s different about the racing at Daytona in 2011: “Everything. The way the bumpers line up, the fresh asphalt, the tires, the grip in the tires. … There’s virtually no tire wear and you’re just worried about staying in that two-car draft because it’s four seconds faster a lap than if you’re out there by yourself. … This is a whole new look.”

Here’s a breakdown of the new-look elements.

Fresh asphalt

Daytona is a different racetrack this year. Literally. After last summer’s Coke Zero 400, speedway management repaved the racing surface for the first time in more than 30 years. Gone are the bumps and cracks in the threadbare asphalt that had previously made Daytona far more a handling track than its restrictor-plate cousin, Talladega. “They did a really good job,” says defending 500 winner Jamie McMurray, “not only on the racetrack, but widening pit road.” Among other things, that means that tire wear should play little or no role in this year’s 500.

The splitters have split

The track wasn’t the only thing that got a facelift - so did the cars. One of the most controversial elements that NASCAR introduced with its “new” car in 2007 was the front air dam, or splitter. The ugly appendage, which hung from the front bumper, made each car look like it was lugging a beer-vendor’s tray. It also introduced a temperamental handling element. Now the splitters are gone, and cars can run nose-to-tail in two-car drafts that are so tight, Kurt Busch compared them to “chain races” at weekend short tracks, where two cars are literally hooked together. “There's a guy up front with a motor and then there’s a guy in the back with the brake,” Busch said of chain racing. “This is the opposite. The guy in the back has the motor, the guy in the front has the brake.”

New fuel rules

This remains the great unknown heading into the Great American Race. The new E15 fuel produces additional horsepower but also reduced mileage. Fuel strategy could be a greater factor over the course of 500 miles than in the shorter Speedweeks preliminary events such as the Shootout and the 150-mile qualifiers. Further, the new closed refueling system, which has eliminated the “catch-can” man, is more awkward because the dump cans are longer and harder to align with the filler neck. That has increased the possibility that a contender could lose the race because of a botched fuel stop, particularly if the stop occurs under green.

A different kind of draft

The most visible difference between this year’s Daytona 500 and recent editions is in the way the cars draft. Gone is the 40-car freight train, replaced by what Kurt Busch predicts will be “20 two-car packs.” Says Busch, “You have to have two cars to stay hooked up. You cannot do three, you can’t do four or five. It’s just two cars.”

Single cars are actually more sluggish than a year ago. Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s pole speed, 186.09 mph, is about 5 mph slower than last year’s pole speed. But during the Bud Shootout, two cars drafting together ran as fast as 206 mph. NASCAR had implemented a rule restricting oil-cooler hoses, which was supposed to limit how long two cars could draft without the second car overheating. But a cool track and air temperatures in the 40s rendered this measure largely ineffective. Warmer weather — or additional rules changes — could limit the two-car drafts during the 500. Still, expect a free-for-all, with drivers frantically pairing off at the end. “The game has changed,” says Jeff Gordon. “You can’t take knowledge and throw it away. Once you have it, you have it. No matter what changes (occur before) Sunday we’re still going to have that knowledge. And we’ll try to use it to our advantage.”

ONE TO WATCH: Jamie McMurray

WHY HE MATTERS: He’s the defending Daytona 500 champ.

WHAT HE SAYS: “(This is) completely different plate racing than we’ve ever had.”

WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY: He knows his stuff; three of his six career wins have come in plate races.

NEXT RACE Daytona 500, Daytona International Speedway

THE LOWDOWN Expectations are high for the 53rd running of the Great American Race. That’s saying something, considering that the 500 has gone into overtime four times in the past six years. But with last Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout ending in a photo finish that was determined by an NFL-style replay review (NASCAR officials penalized apparent winner Denny Hamlin for passing below the yellow line and awarded the win to Kurt Busch), there’s reason to think the 500 could live up to its billing. And with no worry of pot holes causing lengthy delays, like last year, TV viewers might actually stick around to watch the whole thing.

“That was the most unexpected race I've ever been a part of.” – Ryan Newman, who went from first to third in the Budweiser Shootout in the final quarter mile.

Where to watch

Sunday’s pre-race show on Fox starts at noon EST, followed by the race at 1:00.

UP TO SPEED

A misleading indicator

If history holds, Tony Stewart and the Busch Brothers will spend a lot of time at the front of the field next Sunday. And none of the three will wind up in Victory Lane. That trio has averaged the most laps led per start at the Daytona 500 during their careers but none has never won (see chart). Kyle Busch has had the most tantalizing track record in the 500. In six career starts he’s never finished higher than fourth despite having led 186 laps. That’s almost as many laps as the last five Daytona 500 winners — Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray — have led in their careers combined (196). In fact, in eight career starts, McMurray, the defending champion, has led the Daytona 500 for a grand total of three laps.

Junior’s fast start

The three-way driver swap at Hendrick Motorsports has already paid dividends. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (newly paired with crew chief Steve Letarte) won the Daytona 500 pole last Sunday, and teammate Jeff Gordon (newly paired with crew chief Alan Gustafson) locked in a spot alongside him on the front row. And while starting up front at Daytona has been of little benefit in recent years (average starting spot of the last four 500 winners: 23.3), Letarte thinks things will be different now. “With the new pavement, new surface, I think qualifying is much more relevant to the race,” Letarte says. “I don’t think you’re going to change near as much in your car (between qualifying and the race) as you would have in years past.”

Milestone

This week is the 10th anniversary of Dale Earnhardt Sr.’s death. To mark the occasion, Daytona International Speedway officials have asked fans to stand and observe a moment of silence on lap three (in honor of Earnhardt’s car number). The Fox Sports broadcast will also go silent.

WEEKLY STATS

Laps led per Daytona 500 start (LLPS)

RANK DRIVER LLPS

1 Kyle Busch 31.0

2 Tony Stewart 24.8

3 Kurt Busch 15.4

4 Jeff Gordon 15.1

5 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 13.1

6 Bill Elliott 12.4

7 David Gilliland 9.0

8 Clint Bowyer 8.2

9 Mark Martin 7.3

10 Michael Waltrip 7.2

11 Denny Hamlin 6.6

12 Kevin Harvick 6.2

13 Jimmie Johnson 5.8

14 A.J. Allmendinger 5.5

15 Matt Kenseth 4.7

16 Greg Biffle 4.4

17 Ryan Newman 3.7

18 Brian Vickers 3.5

19 Martin Truex Jr. 2.8

20 Terry Labonte 2.8

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